American Eagle Opens Philippine Flagship

The store, which includes a shop-in-shop for the Aerie brand, is the first of several slated to open all over the country.

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED: American Eagle Outfitters opened its Philippine flagship, a 7,500 square-foot, two-story store in the upmarket Bonifacio High Street retail development in suburban Manila. The store, which includes a shop-in-shop for the Aerie brand, is the first of several slated to open all over the country, according to a multi-year retail license agreement with Suyen Corp., a leading Philippine retailer and franchisee with a nationwide network of 744 stores including 126 franchised stores. Among the international brands in Suyen’s portfolio are Cotton On, La Senza, Celio, Aldo, Repetto, Mothercare and the Korean beauty brand The Face Shop.

The new Philippine store is part of American Eagle Outfitters’ Asian expansion. In 2010, it entered the Middle East market with stores in Dubai and Kuwait; it has opened stores in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. In 2011, it opened stores in Hong Kong and China, while the Tokyo store was unveiled in 2012.

According to Ben Chan, chief executive of Suyen, American Eagle Outfitters complemented his company’s existing brand portfolio. “It offers a wide range of smart street wear that caters to the casual Philippine lifestyle. Tees and denim are staple items in almost everyone’s wardrobe.” The acquisition of the brand “further reinforces Suyen’s position as a strong retail group that is aggressively pursuing brands that cater to the changing needs and evolving Philippine lifestyle. Like its Asian neighbors, Filipinos are very trendy when it comes to fashion.”

Guest of honor at the opening party February 28 was Canadian-Filipino actress Shay Mitchell from the hit teen series “Pretty Little Liars.” She joined American Eagle Outfitters’ international team, which included Simon Nankervis, vice president for international franchising, and global business development and Kareem Gahed, senior director for international franchising, among others.